The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-24

sons of Gen. Posey. So far as I know
the men folks never referred to the
matter in any way whatever The re-
semblance OF the son, whom | attended
on his death bed, to the pictures we
| have OF Washington was certainly very
remarkable. He had the some high
forehead and prominent features"
To the inquiry whether he had ever
seen or heard of anything of document
tary character going TO show the rela-
| tlonship between Washington and Posey
| the old physician replied that be had
not. From what he had seen and
known about the Posey family he
DeheVed they would not have permitted
sCch evidence to continue long in exist
ence. Ihey were proud, sensitive peo---
pie ana preferred to ignore the relation
ship, if it existed.
SEARCHING THE RECORDS.
Recently this story as told in Shax-
neetown, was briefly related to Mr.
Ainsworth R. Spoford, who for many
years has had charge of the Congress
sional Library III Washington. MIR.
Spotford is the intimate friend Of Ban
croft, and probably has read ami heard
more about Washington than has any
/ OsASt - AAAa+I N-ASNPS VIC AlSlOt ldIl.
| Have they anv Thing but sradition .
base it upon asked Mr.. Spofford when
ne had listened TO the story.
The narrator was bound to say that i,
was all tradition so far as the Shawnee
town folks were concerned,
Ihen mir. Spotford, whose own mind
is the best catalogue of that vast collec
uon OF books and periodicals and pub
ncatlons OF every sort, undertook to
furnish what the literature ot thl,
country has preserved regarding GeD.
| Thomas Posey. Rather strange 70 say.
the general histories and biographies
make but very meagre references to
him. They show that he possessed all
MS epitaph claims for him as official
nonors. He lead the charge at Stony
POINT. He was a Brigadier-Geue in
the army. He was Lieutenant Gov
ernor of Kentucky. He sat in the
United States Senate from Louisiana in
dSlZ and he was governor of Indian
territory from 1913 to 1916. The early
histories and biographies mention these
facts briefly. Later publications repeat
them, and there history stops. This Is
all that is handed down TO q grateful
republic about man of such promi-
nence in its early development.
PROFITABLE SUGGESTION.
| ait is possible there may be some
thing in the Port Folio.' suggested Mr..
| Spotford. as he went after the index
and ran his eyes down the list of Ps.
Probably nobody but walking ency-
clopedla would have thought OF looking
In the Port Folio for the desired infor-
nation. How many readers of TO-DAY
ever saw a number of the Port Fnlio, OF
ever heard of it? Yet the Port Folio was.
IN 1924. what the Century, the Atlantic.
or the North american is to-day.
Yes, here is something" said the
librarian, and he sent an assistant to a
remote corner of the great library ware
house, for in its present overcrowded
CONDITION the Congressional Library is
cot library. - -
In the old leather bound volume of
several numbers of the Port folio for
1874 appears sketch of Gen. Posey.
interesting for what it contains and
also interesting for some things it does
not contain.
Thomas Posey," says the anony
nous writer, was born OF respectable
parentage, cear the Potomac, in Vir-
l75O."
That is all the biographer, who be-
comes eulogistlc enough whe be reaches
other important events in the career,
has to say about Gen. Posey's birth.
WASHINGTON AT EIGHTEEN.
In 1850 George Washington was a
young man of Is. His father had been
burned out on Pope's creek in Mary
land, a short distance from the Poto-
mac, and had moved to farm near
Fredericksburg. But George was living
with his brother Lawrence at Mount
Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac.
| the elder having undertaken to bring I'D
and care for the younger. AS the heir
OF this brother, George Washington
subsequently came into possession of
Mount Vernon. According to the biog-
raphers. Washington in these years OF
his early manhood, speD. the summers
in active outdoor lite, and the winters
| with his books.
a few months after the date given for
the birth of Thomas Posey, there came
break in the monotony of life at
Mount Vernon. Lawrence Washington
suddenly departed for the West Indies.
taking George with him. The usual
explanation of this trip given in biog-
raphies, is that Lawrence went on as
count of i'll health. Why he took his
brother is not made clear. In the
Barbados George Washington con-
tracted smallpox, and the pits in his
face were discernible to the day of his
death.
POsEY g YOUTH.
All that has been published of the
antecedents of Thomas Posey is :em-
braced in the single sentence quoted
above. His biographer is just as brief
In speaking of the distinguished mans
youth. The sketch proceeds:
"In 1769 he had received a tolerable
English education, and as he was to
inherit no fortune, his enterprising
spirit induced him at that early age to
seek a residence in the western part of
Virginia near the frontiers.'
By turning to any history. the reader
will find in the period including 1863
Washington was making frequent
visits to the western part of Virginia, |
and spending much of his time there
looking after interests he had acquired. !
He had some years previous married the !
widow GUSTS, and in referring to this !